Twenty-four hour time setting alarm mechanism



July 5, 1955 c. T. KUKOL TWENTY-FOUR HOUR TIME SETTING ALARM MECHANISM Filed March 23, 1954 INVENTOR. Carl 7; Kwkol ATTCI R N EYE TWENTY-FOUR HOUR TIME SETTING ALARM MECHANISM Carl T. Kukol, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application March 23, 1954, Serial No. 418,185 1 Claim. (Cl. 58-225) This invention relates to a timepiece, and particularly to the alarm setting mechanism of the timepiece.

The object of the invention is to provide a twenty-four hour time setting mechanism for a timepiece through means of an alarm trip wheel that has twice the usual number of teeth and wherein the alarm indicator dial is provided with two twelve hour scales so that the alarm can be set to register and go off more than twelve hours later.

A further object of the invention is to provide a twentyfour hour time setting mechanism that is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure l is an elevational view of the alarm indicator dial of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an elevational view showing the clockwork mechanism constructed according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a view taken at right angles to the view shown in Figure 2 and showing the position of the parts after the alarm goes ofi.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Figures 2 and 3 but showing the position of the parts before the alarm goes oif.

Figure 5 is an elevational view showing the relation of the alarm dial to the main dial of the timepiece.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numerals and 11 designate a pair of spaced parallel plates which form part of the framework of the timepiece. A plurality of posts 12 interconnect the plates 10 and 11 together and maintain these plates in their proper spaced apart relation. Extending between the plates 10 and 11 and supported thereby is a first shaft 14 which has a manually operable knob 15 on an end thereof whereby the shaft 14 can be rotated as desired. An hour wheel 16 is loose on the shaft 14 as is conventional in clockwork mechanisms. The teeth of the hour wheel 16 are arranged in meshing engagement with a pinion gear 17, Figures 2 and 3, and arranged in meshing engagement with the pinion gear 17 is an alarm trip wheel or time setting wheel 18.

Formed integral with the alarm trip wheel 18 is a sleeve or bushing 19 which is provided with a cutout 20 that defines a cam surface for a purpose to be later described. A second shaft 21 is rotatably supported by the plates 10 and 11, and a knob 22 is provided for rotating the shaft 21. Secured to the shaft 21 is a pin 23 which is mounted for movement into and out of registry with the cutout 20. It will be seen therefore that the pin 23 and shaft 21 are integral or are secured together, while the sleeve 19 and alarm trip wheel 18 are integral or secured together.

There is further provided an alarm spring 24 which is positioned between the plates 10 and 11, and the alarm spring 24 drives a gear wheel 25 which meshes with a pinion 26. The pinion 26 causes rotation of an escapenited States Patent 0 2,712,215 Patented July 5, 1955 ment wheel 27, and the escapement wheel 27 causes actuation of an escapement 28. A lever arm 29 is operated by the escapement 28, and a striking member 30 is arranged on an end of the lever arm 29.

Positioned between the alarm trip wheel 18 and the plate 10 is a spring member 31 which serves to normally urge or bias the alarm trip wheel 18 from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in Figure 3. However, this movement of the wheel 18 can only be accomplished when the pin 23 registers with the cutout 20 and setting of the pin 23 is provided or accomplished by means of the knob 22 so that the alarm can be set to go 01f at any time in advance. The spring member 31 carries a spring finger 32 which is mounted for movement into and out of engagement with the lever arm 29, Figure 4. Thus, with the spring finger 32 in engagement with the lever arm 29 as shown in Figure 4 oscillation of the lever arm 29 is prevented so that the alarm will not sound. However, when the spring finger 32 moves out of engagement with the lever arm 29 due to the inherent resiliency of the spring member 31, the lever arm 29 will be permitted to oscillate when the escapement 28 is actuated by the gear train.

Secured to an end of the shaft 21 is an indicator or pointer 33, and the pointer 33 is adapted to coact with a dial as shown in Figure 1, and the dial of Figure l is the alarm setting dial. The dial of Figure 1 includes two twelve hour scale sections 34 and 35. The letters AM are arranged adjacent to the scale section 34, and the letters PM are arranged adjacent to the scale 35. The numeral 36 designates the letters AM and the numeral 37 designates the letters PM. The main dial or scale for the timepiece is indicated generally by the numeral 38 in Figure 5. It is to be understood that certain parts of the timepiece operating mechanism have been omitted since the present invention can be understood without a detailed explanation of certain conventional parts of the timepiece.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there has been provided a twenty-four hour time setting mechanism for timepieces such as alarm clocks. The alarm trip wheel 13 has twice the usual number of teeth thereon and the wheel 18 has twice as many teeth as the hour wheel 16 and this construction permits the alarm to be set to go off more than twelve hours later. in use the pointer can be set at any point on the dial shown in Figure 1 by means of the knob 22. This movement of the knob 22 also causes rotation of the shaft 2i and movement of the pin 25 to the proper position. The hour wheel 16 is rotated by the usual main spring which is not shown in the present drawings, and rotation of the wheel 16 causes rotation of the pinion gear 17 and this in turn causes rotation of the alarm trip wheel 18. As the wheel 18 moves, there will come a time when the position of the pin 23 Will correspond or register wtih the cutout 29 whereby the spring member 33 will move the wheel 18 and sleeve 19 from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in Figure 3. This outward movement of the Wheel 18 away from the plate 18 will permit the major portion of the spring member 3.1 to move outwardly whereby the spring finger 32 will move oif of the lever arm 29. Then, with the spring finger 32 off of the lever arm 29' the alarm will go or? due to the provision of the gear train and escapement 28 which actuates the gong 3%.

it will be seen that the provision of the two indicating scales 34 and 35 on the dial of Figure 1, together With twice the usual number of teeth on the wheel 18 permits the alarm to be set to go off at any time within the next twenty-four hours. Any suitable mechanism can be provided for shutting off the alarm when desired, but such mechanism forms no part of the present invention.

Formerly the wheels 18 and 16 were of the same size, but in the present invention the wheel 18 is twice as large as the wheel 16 so that it now takes two revolutions of wheel 16 for each revolution of wheel 18. As an ex ample of the number of teeth used, there may be ten teeth on the hour wheel pinion 17, and forty teeth on the hour wheel 16 and eighty teeth on the time setting wheel 18 so that there will be an eight to one ratio between the hour wheel pinion 17 and the time setting wheel 18. This increased ratio between the hour wheel pinion 17 and the time setting wheel 18 gives a twenty-four hour alarm setting period.

As previously stated the number of teeth on the wheel 18 has been doubled so that the alarm of a twelve hour time setting alarm clock is changed into a twenty-four hour time setting mechanism. The alarm clock can be a standard spring driven type and all standard time setting alarm clocks are geared to show and give a twelve hour time period so that the hour wheel 16 makes one complete revolution in twelve hours. Therefore since the train of twelve hour time setting alarm clocks are geared to make the hour wheel 16 rotate one complete revolution in twelve hours, the alarm trip wheel 18, regardless of whether it is geared directly or indirectly to the hour wheel 16, must also make one complete revolution in twelve hours. Therefore by merely increasing the number of teeth two times on any alarm trip wheel 18 located on any type of twelve hour time setting alarm, regardless of their trains, power sources or the like, it will automatically allow the hour wheel 16 to make two complete revolutions to one complete revolution of the wheel 18 so that the time setting ability will be changed from twelve hours to twenty-four hours. The alarm hand indicator 33 is attached in a normal position directly to the shaft 21 and the two twelve hour time periods are provided on the dial face as shown in Figure 1. By breaking the twenty-four hours (one day) into its two twelve hour time periods AM and PM, then the user can readily see'which twelve hour time period the alarm has been set to function in. For example if a person should care to retire at 8:00 oclock in the evening and be awakened at 9:00 oclock the following morning, the persent alarm clock could not be used since the time setting is restricted to twelve hours. But by increasing the number of teeth two times on the alarm trip wheel 18, then it is only necessary to turn the alarm hand indicator 33 to the 9:00 A. M. section 34 of the hour time scale, and the alarm mechanism will function thirteen hours from the time it was set which was 8:00 oclock in the evening.

Except for breaking up the 24 hours into its two twelve hour time periods A. M. and P. M., and the doubling of the teeth on the alarm trip wheel 18, it is not necessary to change any of the standard construction parts of an alarm clock.

It is to be understood that a new type of spring driven alarm train is not being claimed and that the present invention is an advancement and improvement of the time setting ability of standard twelve hour timepieces. The value and adaptability of the present invention is wide in scope and the standard constructed spring driven alarm clock shown in the drawings is only used for illustration to show as clearly as possible how the theory changes the time setting ability from twelve hours to twenty-four hours without changing the basic construction of the timepiece for use as a twenty-four hour alarm time setting mechanism.

The present invention can be applied for other uses as a twenty-four hour time setting mechanism outside of the use of the spring driven alarm or the particular alarm train escapement that is shown and described in the application papers and on the drawings. Thus, in twelve hour electric driven alarm clocks the construction of the alarm mechanism and other parts would be quite difierent from that shown in the drawings.

The present invention can also be used in many other work pieces as for example it can be used as a means to set gas or electric furnaces, gas or electric ranges, refrigerators or the like so that these devices will operate within any given twenty-four hour time period. This value can be easily visualized. For example if a party wishes to leave his or her home for an overnight stay or the like, the present invention can be used for turning off the furnace, or setting the timing mechanism to make the furnace function prior to the persons return to thus assure a warm house. Also, a person could perpare a meal in advance, place it in the oven part of the kitchen range, set the mechanism to make the range function prior to their return and thus assure a ready cooked meal. Also, a person could turn off the refrigerator to defrost, or set the mechanism to make the refrigerator function at any desired hour after defrosting time or at any desired hour of the twenty-four hour time range of the mechanism.

It is to be understood that any alarm device, starter or the like can be used and that the present invention can be applied or adapted for conversion without changing the basic construction of the mechanisms, as previously explained. The hour wheel 16 is mounted on the shaft 14 but is loose on the shaft 14 and since the shaft 14 turns one revolution every sixty minutes, the wheel 16 will take twelve hours to turn. The hour wheel is adapted to be driven by the timing mechanism by conventional structure not shown.

I claim:

A timepiece comprising a frame embodying a first and second plate arranged in spaced parallel relation with respect to each other, a plurality of spaced parallel posts extending between said plates and secured thereto, a first shaft extending between said plates and supported thereby, a manually operable knob on an end of said shaft and said knob being arranged rearwardly of said second plate, an hour wheel adapted to be driven by the timing mechanism of the timepiece and said hour wheel being ioose on said shaft and arranged contiguous to the outer surface of said first plate, a pinion gear arranged in meshing engagement with said hour wheel, a second shaft normally stationary but manually rotatable, said second shaft being rotatably supported by said plates and arranged in spaced parallel relation with respect to said first shaft, an alarm trip wheel slidably and rotatably mounted on said second shaft, said alarm trip wheel meshing with said pinion gear and said alarm trip wheel having twice as many teeth as said hour wheel, a sleeve secured to said alarm trip wheel and surrounding said second shaft, said sleeve extending outwardly from said alarm trip wheel, said sleeve being provided with a cutout defining a cam, a pin secured to said second shaft and mounted for movement into and out of said cutout, an alarm spring arranged between said plates, a gear wheel driven by said alarm spring, a pinion arranged in engagement with saidgear wheel, an escapement wheel driven by said pinion, a striking member including a lever arm actauted by said escapement wheel, said lever arm being positioned between said pair of plates, a spring member interposed between said alarm trip wheel and first plate and having a finger mounted for movement into and out of engagement wtih the said lever arm, a pointer secured to said second shaft, a main dial, and an alarm indicator scale for coaction with said pointer, said alarm indicator scale being divided into two twelve hour sections, the letters A. M. being arranged adjacent to one of said scale sections, and the letters P. M. being arranged adjacent to the other scale section, each of said scale sections including the numerals 1 through 12 thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,082,077 Gage Dec. 23, 1913 

